Travelling the world can provide wonderful new experiences, and is one of the most sought luxuries of life. Whether it is finding the most exclusive, remote beach resort, or discovering the local side of a brand-new city, there are rich experiences out there to be had.
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But travelling to foreign locations can also come with its barriers, most notably in communication. This can be an issue when trying to ask for directions, navigating public transportation, and when ordering food. But it can also bleed over into other areas, like playing at a casino.
If you log on to any of the sites recommended by legalcasino.uk, which analyses online casinos and their offers and shares useful gambling info, everything is just going to be presented in English. But it could be a different experience visiting a gambling establishment in a different country. Here is a guide to common English phrases used in casinos that are pretty much standard around the world.
The Basics
● Casino
● Black (21)
● Poker
● Roulette
● Bingo
The word ‘Casino’ stems from Italian and it’s essentially the same in Spanish and French. The names of the table games that you see in a casino are also very unlikely to be different from the common English terms.
You could speak names like blackjack, poker and roulette and someone will, more likely than not, understand what you want. Bingo is another popular casino term that doesn’t change around the world.
Gaming Staff
● House
● Dealer
● Croupier
Navigating your way through the basics of gaming terms shouldn’t put you in choppy waters, thanks to many terms being universal. When playing Blackjack, for example, you are going to hear the term ‘dealer’ a lot, such as ‘dealer stands’ or ‘dealer wins’.
The title is extremely common across many languages in a casino setting and so is ‘croupier’, which is a French term for the people who handle Roulette and Craps for example, along with VIP tables.
All-in on Poker
● All-in
● Hit
● Stand
● Fold
● Check
● Flush
● Pot
Most common English terms that you will find in use at casinos have to do with poker. It is a universal game, and ‘all-in’ for example is widely understood across the world when you want to throw all of your chips in. The ‘stand’ call is widely recognised as well, and of course, ‘fold’.
The beauty of poker communication however is that you don’t have to even speak. Hand gestures typically dictate a lot of the play, so you can knock on the table to check on your turn and it’ll be understood, for example.
If you get excited over your winning ‘flush’, then that poker term will most likely be understood too. Your eyes are probably locked onto the ‘pot’ when playing, and while it’s not that common of a word to be spoken, the English version is fairly universal when sat at a poker table.
Betting Options for Other Games
● Split
● Jackpot
● Red/Black
● Odd/Even
Blackjack also has some hand calls, like scratching the table to indicate that you want to hit and take another card. Verbally, you can probably get away with a clearly spoken ‘split’ if you pull a pair of aces, for example.
The colour names on a roulette table are going to be understood in English as well. The word ‘jackpot’, typically associated with slot machines, is another casino word that breaks language barriers. There may be a tiny variation in the spelling of it, but if you speak it, the person listening will understand.
Alternatives to Catch
● Chips
● Ante
● Bet
● Slots
● House
● Push
Other common casino phrases may require just a little extra work. These will likely be understood in English, but it’s a good idea to at least get a little bit of a backup by at least learning them in the native language of wherever you are heading.
Chips for example are ‘fichas’ in Spain, and another important casino word, ‘bet’ will be ‘mise’ in France. For most of these, you can probably get away with a lot of pointing and gesturing if the English doesn’t work.
Translator
Unless you are raw-dogging your adventure, technology can always help. Whip open the translator on your smartphone if you want to get a little more engaged in the local culture, by asking things like “What is the minimum bet”, “Change for chips” or “Buy in”.
Most of the time you can rely on your English to get you through a night of casino play in a foreign casino, but making small efforts to pick up some lingo will help interactions with staff and local players go a little bit easier.
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